15 July 2016 – Senior officials from across the United Nations
family today condemned the deadly attack in Nice, France, calling for
stepped up efforts to fight terrorism and violent extremism.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in
a statement from his spokesperson, expressed his deepest sympathy and
condolences to the families of the victims of “this horrific act,”
including to the Government and all the people of France.

He underscored the need to intensify regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism.

“The Secretary-General hopes that all those responsible for this
massacre will be rapidly identified and brought to justice,” according
to the statement.

This morning, Ambassador Koro Bessho of Japan, as the President of
the Security Council for the month of July, read out a statement issued
last night in which the Council “condemned in the strongest terms the
barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack” and stressed that terrorism
constituted one of the most serious threats to international peace and
security.

“The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of
terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their
motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed,” Mr. Bessho
said.

When the Council met later to discuss the situation in
Iraq, all members stood to observe a moment of silence in memory of the
victims.

Ambassador Koro Bessho of Japan and President of the Security
Council reads statement condemning the deadly attack in Nice, France.
The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring the
perpetrators of these terrorist acts to justice.

According to media reports, a truck rammed into pedestrians
gathered to celebrate the French holiday in the southern seaside city of
Nice on Thursday night, killing more than 80 – including children.
Dozens of people have been injured.

The President of the General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, expressed “horror” at the number of people killed and injured.

“This slaughter of innocent civilians is yet another horrific example
of the terrorist movement’s total contempt for any kind of humanity,”
he said.

Mr. Lykketoft noted that this is one of a number of these mass
killings across the world in recent weeks, and it is “a dire call” for
even stronger international counterterrorism cooperation.

There are now so many deadly attacks ...that have occurred
in recent months, that words of condemnation sound like damp leaves
fluttering to the ground after another violent storm

Appalled by the horrendous carnage, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said
that the murderous assault on ordinary people, using a simple truck as a
deadly weapon, is yet another blow aimed at the heart of humanity by
extremists, according to his Office (OHCHR).

“There are now so many deadly attacks – in Baghdad, Brussels, Dhaka,
Istanbul, Medina, Orlando – to name just a fraction of those that have
occurred in recent months, that words of condemnation sound like damp
leaves fluttering to the ground after another violent storm,” Mr. Zeid
said through his spokesperson in Geneva.

He noted that while the driver’s motives are still to be established,
“we are confronted by an ideology that seems to be creating an endless
supply of fanatics prepared to kill for the sake of killing.”

The response, Mr. Zeid cautioned, needs to be “carefully calculated
and highly sophisticated” so that it is not simply about heightening
security but about deflating the ideology itself.

Irina Bokova, who heads the France-based UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), expressed
the organization’s “deep sadness and sincere condolences” and stressed
the importance of education and social inclusion in fighting terrorism.

“This barbaric attack will never win over our shared resolve to
unrelentingly pursue our efforts to prevent violent extremism through
education for global citizenship and human rights, respect for cultural
diversity and the power of culture as a force for social inclusion,” Ms.
Bokova said.

Adding his voice to the chorus of condemnations, Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser, the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations, also called the incident an “outrageous attack” and a “barbaric crime that is unjustifiable by all means.”

Taleb Rifai, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, said
that “in the face of these forces of darkness, we must more than ever
remain united to fight this global threat.” He added that Nice will
continue to be one of the leading tourism destinations in France and in
the world.

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